Retribution
by Regum et Reginarum
Summary: "The time for war is over! So why are you doing this?"She had to keep her voice steady, despite her fear, she would not show weakness. "There will be no peace until I have my retribution." Bellarke AU. Warning: Later chapters of this story will include kidnapping and torture, as well as mentions of drug addiction. (Rating Subject to Change)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N-So this is the start of a new story that will be being updated in alternation with the Crystal Alchemist. And it is for the 100 fandom! As of lately I have been literally obsessed with this tv show (I'm still reading the books), and now I've been inspired by an RP between myself and a friend of mine for this particular story. Don't worry. It's actually pretty decent. :) I hope. Anyway R&R.**

The sky overhead was painted in streaks of pinks, oranges, and golds. The sign that the sun was tucking itself back away behind the horizon and that it was time to end another day. But with the roar of the flames coming from the center of the large gathering it was easy to tell that this was only the beginning of one hell of a long night.  
>The celebration of a to be long lasting truce had begun with the bonfire, the war was over, the Mount Weather mission had been a success and everyone was back home, where they belonged, except for the few who had been lost within the massacre that ensued within the mountain as a measure of war, people from both groups had come together for this party, and if it wasn't for the fact she wasn't really in the mood for celebrating anything, Clarke Griffin would've been thrilled.<p>

She'd come to this bonfire in the first place because Octavia had begged her, along with numerous other people including her mother, and Jasper, but it wasn't until Bellamy had come to talk to her that she'd actually agreed. He'd managed to talk her out of another of the same, another night of dull boring constant work that she'd been using as an excuse to numb her mind to the pain of what she'd done almost a year ago. And he'd managed to get her out here in this mess with just a few words.

She allowed herself to move from the middle of the crowd, towards the edge of it, planning to make her escape back to the medical bay so that she could taking inventory for the 8th time that day. If it wasn't obvious, she'd taken to the most mind numbing of tasks to keep herself busy when their weren't patients. She'd almost made it too, when a strong yet gentle, calloused hand grabbed her arm, and stopped her in her tracks.

She didn't have to look to know who it was, it was like her body had an internal sensor that could tell Bellamy apart from an anyone in the world. She hated it, it was one of the many things that left her feeling like she could betray Finn more after he was gone.

"I promised you I'd be here, Bellamy, I didn't promise you I'd stay."She didn't even have to look to see the almost worried expression on his frustrating freckled face, but she still knew it was there.

"You can't put your life on hold forever."She could hear the silent do you think he'd want that in his tone, and she knew he was right. Finn wouldn't have wanted her to stop living because of him, and part of her wished that she hadn't but it was hard for her to enjoy herself when she still could only think about the way he'd looked slumped over dead, and the way his blood felt on her hands. Everything still hurt too much to go back to being perfectly normal. It would never be normal.

"It's not hiding from my life, it's called having work to do."She responded to his comment, jerking her arm free from his hold, his hand seemed to burn her skin when he held her for too long, it wasn't a bad type of burn it was more of a pleasant feeling and she didn't deserve it.

There were so many parts of her conflicting on one matter. One part of her wished he would stop helping her, and leave her alone already. But the larger part wanted him to stay with her, to never stop, to hold her and be there for her when it seemed like no one else was. "Besides, I don't see what we're celebrating." She shouldn't be having a good time, not when Finn wasn't here to enjoy it too.

"Two hours. If you want to go back to work after that fine. But you need relax for a while, what you're doing isn't exactly healthy."

Since when did he become the health expert who knew what was healthy and what wasn't. It frustrated her that he was right though. She rolled her eyes at him, the damn idiot. Bellamy and his perfectly presented good points, she hated them both at the moment. But he was right, it wasn't halthy, and it was driving her out of her goddamn mind.

"Fine, two hours. Not a minute more."She had to get back, inventory didn't wait. She had to know how many supplies they had left, as if the number was going to change in a matter of the time it took to have a good night without thinking about the horrible things of her past.

"Come with me, there's a surprise waiting back at the old drop ship. I'll make it worth your while."

At first she was unsure, if that was a good idea, but to be honest out of everyone in the whole damn camp, she trust Bellamy more than anyone, hell on some days she even trusted him more than her own mother. She trusted him, despite that tempting devilish grin that took to his freckled features, that look that seemed to be enough to make her feel a mess of unwanted emotions but for a moment she couldn't look away, as she tried to process exactly what she would do in this sitaution. She elected to shove the feelings down. He'd been there for her through the trying times of the last year, but that didn't make it any easier. Every time she looked at him in a way that her heart deemed unacceptable, she'd feel that all familiar pang of guilt. Every time she looked at Bellamy as of late, she felt herself starting to fall again. And she was terrified.

"Fine. But this better not take all night."

But ever fiber of her being knew that it would.

Clarke was shocked to find that apparently her mother had agreed to let those left of the hundred go back to the drop ship for a gathering of their own, but she felt like she was at home here, more so than she felt in Camp Jaha. This was where her family was now. Those people had left her to die, these people had helped her live.

Jasper looked like he was drunk already, must've made some of his special moonshine, she could tell this was going to be one hell of a long night, as he stumbled over to her with a cup of the stuff meant just for her. She couldn't help but let a genuine laugh escape her lips, before accepting the cup and taking it's contents down her throat like a professional. And she could feel herself easing into the scene of the party, she could also practically feel Bellamy's delight at this, even though the only thing that remotely showed it was the fact that he had a smirk on his face and his eyes sort of glistened in the light from the bonfire.

If she wasn't trying to relax she would've let her mind tell her that this was wrong. This was a grave to over three hundred people. But she forced her mind to stop worrying about the logistics. She came up with some bullshit that the souls were celebrating with them, another victory even after their fights were long over.

She took a deep breath, and prepared herself to fully relax into the setting, getting herself another glass of the stout moonshine she swallowed it down and prepared to party.

Morning came in a blur, her head screamed in pain, from the hangover she had. She really needed to go find some water, something to hydrate herself so that she could get rid of the worse part of the headache. As she sat up, it hit her, like a ton of bricks. The events of the night before, his lips on hers, his hands all over her skin, the pure passion of it all, then again it was clearly obvious what had happened the night before, when she'd woken up in a tent, naked with Bellamy Blake. How drunk had she been? The negative reading from her moral compass was so high she was sure that she could probably die from it's toxicity levels.

She'd slept with Bellamy last night. After so many moments of guilt she'd actually slept with him, nothing made her feel more guilty. But then again, nothing made her feel more okay. It was a complex set of feelings that she felt at the thought of the night before. And in a sense, she felt like she was finally able to let go. Granted what she'd done would walk with her forever, but she was finally liberating herself from the pain and guilt. Because if there was anything she knew about Finn, he wouldn't want her to torture herself like this.

She allowed herself to lay back down, positioning her head against Bellamy's chest, he was warm, the air was cold. She was more than happy to seek out the comfort he provided. He was never going to let her live this down. Never in a million fucking years. But she didn't care. Not as much as she should've anyway. She wasn't sure he was even awake, until she felt the feel of his fingers in her hair. She hadn't been drunk enough to forget, but she'd apparently been tipsy enough to go with it.

"Morning."She could feel the lingering silent Princess. He would've spoken the word, if he hadn't known how much it hurt her to hear it. "How'd you sleep?"

How was she supposed to answer that? For the first time in what seemed like an eternity she hadn't woken up because of a nightmare, but because she simply just wasn't tired anymore. "Great."

That was one very eloquent way to answer the question. She smiled. "Good to know."She could practically hear the smug smile on his face.

"Wipe that smug smile off your face, Bellamy, before I give you a reason to."The tone in her words was far too playful to be serious, and for the first time in a year, she felt happy.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Chapter Two! Since I've gotten so many views on chapter one in the five hours it's been posted I feel that I am inclined to post the next one, and maybe this time I'll get some reviews. Gotta move the plot along. :) But anyway, you guys should tell me what you think. I need the motivation from the thing. Anyway. ENJOY~! :D

The return to camp was a long drug out trek for everyone involved, most of them had were horribly hung over from the abundance of Jasper's moonshine, but that was fine, when they made it back to camp, she'd actually make an attempt to help with that problem. First mission, get an over abundance of water into all of them to help wipe out some of the dehydration from the over consumption of alcohol.

She'd managed to find some after of course managing to drag herself from the warmth of Bellamy's tent. She never thought she'd see herself in this damn position. Then again for most of the time she'd known him, she'd been trying to force herself not to think about him in a manner that was required by the actions of the night before. She really needed to stop attempting to over analyze this. It was going to drive her crazy. So she'd slept with Bellamy Blake, as she could hear just about everyone saying, It was about fucking time.

As the group trekked back through the woods, she'd had her eyes on her surroundings, taking in their beauty for the first time, since they'd landed, or at least for the first time since she'd had the opportunity without having to worry if a spear or some other variable of grounder weapon was going to pin her to a damn tree. It was beautiful around here, everything was so easy to take in now that she wasn't fearing for her life.

"I never took you for the enjoying the scenery type, Clarke."Jasper called from the back of the crowd and she couldn't help but laugh, turning to face him, a grin taking to her face.

"I never expected to be living in a world where I had the chance too."They didn't have to worry about dying, not for a long damn time. And that, made her feel almost ecstatic. Her mind escaped to Finn, and her grin shifted into a small smile, she wished he was here to see it. The day when everything he'd stood for came to light. Everything he'd stood for before he'd gotten in too deep with her. She seemed to be toxic to everything around her, she was familiar with the thought, she'd had it often over the course of the last year, but with Bellamy it was different. Probably because the two of them had the same level of toxicity in their blood, so to speak. They'd both done awful things and they both regretted them. Out of everyone she'd ever considered herself close to, she was sure he was the only one who understood exactly what she felt.

She wasn't sure why she hadn't seen it before. He was the only one who always seemed to know the right thing to say to her.  
>"Do you read me, Clarke?"Someone had been trying to get her attention? Shit she'd been too lost in thought to even hear them.<br>"Yeah? Sorry, lost in thought."She brought her hand to her face almost as if to hide the embarrassed blush that took to her features. "What's up?"

"I asked if you wanted to go out exploring later."Octavia had popped up at her side, and was giving her a sideways glance, she grinned, contemplating the idea for a moment before nodding, "Hell yeah."  
>Clarke turned her attention to Bellamy who was giving her a look of almost contempt. Still ever the worrier when it came to Octavia. Clarke leaned over her voice taking on a quieter tone as they walked, and she whispered, "Don't worry, I can keep her out of trouble."<br>It wasn't like she was going to let Octavia get hurt, that wasn't something she was about to let happen. She considered the girl too much like family, to even imagine the possibility. Then again she felt the same towards every single one of those left of the hundred.  
>"You better."<p>

-

A scoff and a few bantered words later, they stood inside the camp, and Clarke was passing out water to those who were still far too hungover for their own good. Something ebbed at the corner of her mind, something that didn't feel right. But she pushed the thoughts back. She was almost too happy to be out of that dark place in her mind. She wanted to avoid it like the plague for a while. Even if it did manage to come back. Just a little bit of time without having to worry about her mind yelling at her about how wrong happiness was.

She'd only been finished administering assistance to the hungover for about fifteen minutes when Octavia tapped her shoulder, almost bouncing too excitedly. The girls free spirit was definitely something that could always be considered refreshing. It was nice to see her greeting freedom like this. It made her excited to embrace it herself.

A few minutes later and Clarke had gathered a few supplies to go out for a hike in the woods. Water, rations, more seat belts that could be used as ropes if necessary. She was almost finished and preparing to join Octavia when Bellamy popped in and cleared his throat to catch her attention. Turning to face him, she realized he looked ready to go out and join them, and part of her was wondering if it was for Octavia or if he was joining them for her. It more than definitely left a little too much confusion.  
>"You're going?"<br>"I don't care if we are at peace, she's not going out there without me."  
>Clarke laughed at him, she should've known this was going to happen. He'd let his mind wander with the possibilities of what could happen in this unknown world, and he was far too worried about his sister now to ever let her and Clarke go alone.<br>"Alright, Alright."She raised her hands in mock surrender, "Just make sure you keep up." Clearly a joke, and he'd seen it too, his lips going from the serious expression that rested on them to a slightly upturned smile.

Footsteps fell perfectly in time, as she and Bellamy joined Octavia at the fence which was opened for them. No questions asked, no permission needed, they were truly free. It was nice to be able to leave whenever they wanted. "Octavia, you lead."

They headed off to the west, the forest soon engulfing them, blocking out any sign of Camp Jaha. They hiked through the brush and mess of trees into territories that had yet to be charted, and they were in awe of just about everything, she could even see Bellamy enjoying the tour of the place that had been their home for a year. They walked together in awed silence for about an hour before Clarke finally spoke.  
>"I think we should take a break."She plopped down against a tree, opening the pack and pulling out the water. "Hydration is your friend."<br>Her tone was so perky it was ridiculous, almost like one of those old commercials she'd seen when watching old sports videos with her father and Chancellor Jaha, back when he was Chancellor anyway, and before hand too. The other two seemed to enjoy the joke, a bubbly laugh escaped Octavia's lips and Bellamy let out an almost snicker like sound. It was all too enjoyable.

She offered the containers to them, before opening her own and taking a long drink. She closed the container shoving it back into the pack before allowing herself to relax against the tree and take a breather.  
>"It's so damn beautiful out here."<p>

"You can say that again."

"So what was it like sleeping with my brother?"Octavia asked a smirk coming to her features, and between Bellamy and herself, she was unsure which had the more mortified expression on their face. Clarke honestly couldn't believe that she'd asked that.  
>"I am not answering that question. It's none of your business."<br>She was sure if she could see her reflection her face would be as red as an apple.

-

Octavia found herself laughing at the comment, and their expressions. She'd managed to illicit the reaction she'd been looking for and it was just as entertaining as she'd thought it'd be. Bellamy's face was bright red, something she could only begin to compare to the color of flames, and Clarke, Clarke was brighter than he was.

"It's not funny, O."But it was, to her, there was nothing more funny than the two of them finally realizing the chemistry that rested between them. The fact that it'd taken a bit of alcohol to awaken it inside them was what made it even funnier.  
>"Actually Bell, it's kind of hilarious. You should see your face."<p>

-

Back at Camp Jaha, Abby Griffin was checking the med-bay's inventory, in comparison to the multiple pages of paper work Clarke had left behind for her. When she'd asked Bellamy to talk to her, she hadn't actually expected it to do much good, while all the other attempts had been particularly fruitless, this one had seemed a positive change. When she'd seen Clarke that morning, she looked at ease, happy even. And there was nothing that brought her more joy, than knowing that her daughter was finally allowing herself to be something other than a mess of depression and sorrows. She could never reiterate enough times that Finn wouldn't have wanted her to be like that, but it never seemed to work. It was like recalling her own thoughts after watching Jake burst from the drop ship when he was floated and they'd taken Clarke to solitary.

She knew what it was like to take the life of someone she cared about. She'd been the reason her husband had floated, however that had not been her intention. It had never been her intention, and if she'd have known that Thelonieus was going to float him, she'd have kept her mouth shut. Thinking back to when they'd first landed, and made it to the ground, when she was fighting a power struggle with Kane, there was a lot of things she'd thought she knew and realized she didn't. She had scars to prove it.

She heaved a sigh, they were running out of most of the important essentials, so at the moment it seemed she was going to have to go out and hunt for some herbs. To make remedies, she'd have to get in touch with Lincoln, and trade secrets so to speak. There were a lot of things she could learn from him, but at the moment, her main thought was to go into the forest and see if she could find some herbs. So she gathered supplies putting together a pack, and headed towards the gate.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Okay. So here's the drill. There will not be any further updates until I have at least one review on a chapter. Not because I'm being a bitch, but because I feel like it's particularly pointless to write something if I don't know what my readers think of it. I want to hear what you guys have to say so that I can make adjustments to my writing to give you what you desire from my plots. Now without further ado. I give you Chapter 3.**

The male stared at his hands, then at the cave he'd found himself living in. He had long since seperated himself from the others of his Tribe. Those peace loving bastards, he would ensure there was no peace until he'd gotten retribution for his wife and his daughters death at the Sky People's camp. Mikael looked up at the array of weapons he'd assembled, there were all manner of things he could use to exact his vengence. Blades, barbed whips, poisons and drugs. Not to mention the nice little pond in the back of his cave that was a natural formation of the land. He'd heard that Sky People didn't know how to swim. That would make for some very interesting times.

His heart raced at the idea, and he went over the plan in his head for the thousandth time. He would start with the mother of the one they called Princess, he'd done quite a lot of reconnaissance to gain the intel required on the woman. She was a leader, a strong one at that, who stared Indra in the face with a blade to her neck unafraid. He would make her scream. He would make her writh in pain beneath him, and he would ensure that he enjoyed every damn minute of her suffering. It was only fair.

He would take from the Princess the two most important things in her life. First he would take her mother and reduce her to nothing but a blubbering mess, and then he take the boy she'd found herself falling in love with and he would destroy him. Abby Griffin and Bellamy Blake were both strong warriors, not easily broken. So he was sure to enjoy the time that he spent making them shatter into a million tiny shards for the blonde bitch to pick up.

And then he would finally have peace for his precious Victory and his wife whose name he couldn't even dare to think anymore. Every time he thought of her, it sent pains through him, and he missed her, but he knew that he could never get her back. Just like his daughter was lost forever.

Retribution was the only thing on his mind.

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The inside of the mountain was cold, and indifferent. Lonely even. She'd been living within it's walls for the longest time alone. Having luckily managed to hide herself from the those who infiltrated it's walls. She could recall a time when it had been full of life, and full of chances for her to die, like the rest of her people did. She didn't blame them. She didn't blame any of them for the death of her mother, it wouldn't be fair to place that blame upon them, when all they were doing was protecting their own. Wasn't that what her mother was doing when she went to fight them in their camp?

Thinking on it, she could remember the day as vividly as any other in her life, the feeling of impending doom as she watched from high in the trees a good distance away. The heat of the flames had reached her, and she could feel their intensity but she wasn't going to die from them. She wasn't close enough. Unlike her mother who had been one of those in the lead of the charge against the Sky People's camp. It wasn't fair. She knew that too. The way she'd had her mother ripped away from her. But the events that followed almost made her wish that she was all the warrior that her mother was, and that she was in the midst of the flames that destroyed everything in their wake.

The mountain men had come and they had found her, with her hair unbraided, and warpaintless face, wearing Sky People clothes, and they'd believed her to be one of them. And for that she was thankful, she wouldn't die today. But she would when the Sky People found her out and gave her up. Lucky for her the woman, Clarke had accepted her, had protected her, and in doing so, she had convinced the others to care for her and keep her secret safe.

Victory looked around the barren halls, and she considered leaving for the thousandth time, but to be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She was safe within the mountain, now that all of its inhabitants were dead. She was in a place where she didn't have to fight for her life like a warrior. She was safe for once in her miserable life. But her father was still out there. Somewhere in that world, her father was out there and he was probably still grieving. She made it her mission in that moment, finally concluding that it was time she embraced her destiny. She was of a warrior bloodline after all. It was time she started acting like it. She was going to find her father. And set years of his grieving right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was nothing left to worry about, Abby Griffin had concluded this as she hunted through the woods for valuable herbs that the healers of the grounder tribes had shown her. There had been a peace between the tribes and the Arkers for far longer than expected and it was expected to last, so why did she have this lingering fear hanging over her shoulders since she left the camp?

She brushed it off as nerves, or something of the like, after all. Usually when she left camp she left with an escort, after all, they couldn't have their chancellor getting hurt. But today was different, she'd walked right out the gates and no one had said a word to her. A side effect of peace. After the celebration the night before, it was needless to say that she was sure the peace would last for a longer term than she'd originally expected. She was fairly surprised to find that the Grounders could drink their weight in Jasper's home made moonshine and not even feel faint. She supposed that was another way of which they were warriors, even alcohol didn't disable them. All of them were strong and fierce under all circumstances. It was kind of breathtaking to watch.

For a solitary moment her thoughts passed to Clarke, they'd left a few hours before her. Clarke, Bellamy and Octavia, for a hike they'd claimed. And of course, she'd been alright with it, after all Bellamy had a rifle slung over his shoulder and Octavia had her blade. She had nothing to fear in the area of Clarke's safety.

"So why the hell am I so damn anxious?"She murmured under her breath, before hearing the rustling of leaves behind her. Her head snapped in the direction of the sound and she tried to find the source, but she couldn't find any one. The stinging pain in her shoulder alerted her of the presence again, she looked down to find an arrow head sticking from her flesh, blood dripping from it. The world around her began to grow particularly blurry, and she felt her body fall forward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clarke had taken the chance to lead them in silence, after Octavia's outburst things had grown particularly, not awkward, but hell she couldn't think of the word for it. She took a deep breath, squatting down to pick up some of the particularly rare herb that she'd seen in one of Lincoln's books. Luckily for them something told her they were going to need. She was sure they were almost out, and from what she understood it was supposed to act as a numbing agent in the place of morphine.

"This is supposed to be fun, Clarke."She turned her head after depositing the plant in her pack to find Bellamy standing over her. "You're not supposed to be working, remember?"

"It's not working, Bellamy. It's called having a hobby, maybe you should get one."

A bubbly laugh came from across the trail where Octavia was leaning against a tree. Obviously, Octavia was enjoying this far more than she should, and it caused Clarke to heave a sigh, before she gathered more of the plant and deposited it in her pack with the rest. She stood once the outlet had been entirely collected and started walking again.

For the rest of the hike, Bellamy and Clarke remained rather close to each other, walking with only a little bit of space between them, and their footfalls matching for the entirity of the trip. The sun was setting when they returned, and their seemed to be a large commotion going on within the camp, and suddenly something didn't feel right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bellamy had admit the feeling in the air was unsettling, and it made him wonder what the hell had gone down over the time they'd been gone. It was apparent that he and Clarke had had the same idea, when hastened steps rushed over the grassy plain towards the gate, and it swung open for them revealing, Marcus Kane and Jaha looking almost bothered by the fact that they'd returned.

"What the hell is going on here?"Bluntness was his speciality and he would spare no expense when it came to putting the unease of Clarke's mind to rest. He could tell she was visably shaken. He understood why, the last time the camp had been in an uproar like this was the night of Finn's execution. It only made sense that this would upset her.

"Abby's missing."It was Raven who spoke up. "She left this morning and didn't come back."

Clarke remained silent by his side, the only move she made, was a subtle movement of her hand, that due to the closeness between them would've been imperceptible to anyone who wasn't paying attention. But when her fingers brushed his, only slightly as her hand twitched out of some emotion be it fear or anxiety. He instinctively laced his fingers through hers, giving her the strengths he was sure she needed to stay upright.

"Well don't tell me you've just been standing here panicking. Has anyone sent out search parties?" His tone took on that which he used to use when he himself was considered a leader. He still was, to the hundred. They didn't follow the Arkers, despite living with them, they were two different groups now. Everyone sent down to this hell hole to die still followed him and Clarke, and that was as it should be.

He noticed Clarke routinely looking behind them as if expecting her mother to come stumbling out of the trees having gotten lost or something, but the more time passed the more visibly she began to lose hope, and when the Princess lost hope they were all screwed.

"The camp is on lock down until our runner gets back to tell us if the Grounder Commander has heard anything."Kane spoke up.

"Like hell it is. I'm going out there to find her, any others want to volunteer!"His voice rose, and those they'd rescued from mount weather stepped forward one, then two, then five. It was a fairly decent search party, and he nodded, "Give them guns. We'll find her, and we won't return until we do."

"I'm going with you."Clarke's voice echoed in his ears and he considered the risks. Clarke was strong, he knew that. But she was going to be needed here. If her mother was missing, there was no one else to work the medical center. Clarke was the only option.

"Get your packs, we leave in ten minutes." After eight nods were given in return, he led Clarke off to the side, away from the crowd, away from the panic, and hopefully away from her fears.

"Bellamy, I'm going with you."Again the words echoed, and he thought about the possibilities.

"Clarke, you're needed here. If something happens, the medical staff is limited, you're the only one as good as your mother."

He could see the conflicted emotions passing over her face, and he didn't want to leave her like this, but he had to find her mother. She wasn't going to be losing her anytime soon, he would make sure of that.

"Be careful."

He nodded the words almost digging into him like knives, he knew why she said that. He knew the weight it would put on her if he got hurt trying to find her mother. And he would be careful, they all would, there would be no more unnecessary blood put on her hands.

"Always."He offered a smirk, easy and natural.

The next few seconds passed in what seemed like a infinite reel of time. Slow and lingering, as she moved closer and she placed a kiss to his lips. When she pulled away, she spoke again.

"Good because if you get hurt out there-"She cut off, shaking her head.

"I know. I'll be alright, you just worry about you. Try not work yourself too hard while I'm gone, alright?"

And she didn't make another sound as she watched him duck out of the tent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eyes opened to meet another pair of eyes, right in face.

"Good morning."The voice sounded like it was screaming, though she could tell he wasn't. What the hell had he done to her?

"What the hell do you want with me?"Her own voice was groggy, with lingering edges of sleep tainting the accentuated tone. She was tired, and she felt weak, but she had to wake up and become fully aware. She felt something against her wrist and she tried to pull herself free, but instead she was greeted with the metallic rattle of chains. A twisted face watched, and in his hands she noted the blade, glinting and sharp.

"That's easy. I want your screams."The male spoke, as he dug his blade into her skin.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- So because I felt like the ending of the last chapter was a total snot faced move. You get two chapters today. And as before depending on reviews. There might be another. But this also depends on my musing for this particular plot. Those of you familiar with the Fullmetal Alchemist series (manga/brotherhood) you should check out my other story, The Cassandra Chronicles a series that will include multiple different fandoms and will have it's own continuous plot through all the various stories. :) It's a big project yo. It's a big project.  
>On to the chapter!<strong>

Light footsteps padded across the hearth beneath her feet, granted she'd grown up here. In these woods, but she had no idea where the entrance to the mountain was located, nor did she have any idea how to navigate her way back home. Victory still put on her bravest face, and she moved swiftly, as the warriors did. Part of her wished she could've been born with the ability to fight and kill like the others in her tribe, but then there was the part of her that was thankful that she wasn't. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that made her different. Was it her particularly gentle nature, or perhaps her curiosity? And why did those things inhibit her from doing the traditional things of the warrior way, she'd seen those far more gentle than her kill before. She looked around, searching for familiar things, trying to find a sense of bearing. But from the looks of it she was only getting more lost.

Night was falling, and she felt like she'd walked for miles, probably because she had, she stopped taking in the tribe in front of her. It was not her own the village was not familiar, but it was a tribe, and the likelihood that they would accept her and help her find her way was high. She managed to stay upright, as she entered the village, and she was greeted not by blades and battle cries like most would greet a stranger, but with an odd kindness, and a woman catching her as she started to fall.

She heard the hushed tones of the tribes. The tongue that was native to her people. A woman with an accent demanding for a warrior to take her to a bed in the healers den, and confusion wiped over her in a wave. Which tribe had she stumbled upon, none of them were so kind. That she knew of. But she'd heard stories, as a young girl about the Mountain's Flame Tribe. A tribe of peaceful warriors, that did not shed blood unless necessary. A tribe of those unlawfully exiled from their own mother tribes. Led by a woman with hair as red as the flames that lit the fires in their homes that warmed them.

She smiled, ever so slightly before she let unconsciousness wave over her, pulling her into the depths of her dreams. She was safe here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clarke had somewhat promised that she wouldn't overwork herself in an attempt to bring about distractions from the nature of her particular suffering of the hour. Almost twelve hours had passed since Bellamy and the others left, and even with Octavia trying to keep her mind off her worries, she couldn't help but feel like all of this was some how her fault. And it was worse that every time she thought of Bellamy, she thought of the lingering feeling of the kiss she'd given him before he'd left, the taste of him and events of the night before, before her mind traveled to darker thoughts. The possibility of her mother being hurt. Or the possibility of Bellamy being hurt.

There were always the possibilities, and at this moment with her mind lingering on the bad, there were far too many of them. Each one worse than the last.

"Hey, take a deep breath. Bellamy knows how to handle himself. He'll find your mom, and everything will be fine."  
>Clarke nodded, offering a smile to the dark haired girl.<p>

"I can't possibly imagine why they haven't found her yet. I mean if she just got lost, they should've been back by now."

"You worry too much. Both of them will be fine. I'm sure of it."

Another nod and a smile, and Clarke went back to her work. She was looking over the wounds of one of the girls who'd been caught a fight with a couple of drunks who were laying in the beds next to her unconscious and likely high on pain killers, due to the lashes they'd received for assault. Now that she thought of it, Bellamy had disobeyed direct orders, he'd be lashed when he returned too. As would everyone who'd left with him. But he'd known that. He knew the rules. And he knew what was best for her, five lashings for each of them. If she wasn't mistaken. 45 total. That in itself was a horrific number to think about. And that was if they didn't get charged with unauthorized possession of fire arms on top of that. She shook her head to clear it. And the frail looking teen in front of her offered a smile.

"If it's any consulation, at least you weren't in my position."

Clarke could hear the inklings of a joke, and she shook her head, "Don't joke about stuff like they did last night was wrong. But luckily for you, they got the worst of it. You're quite the warrior aren't you?"

"Yeah, no... Not really."

"I think you'll find your wrong about that. Earth'll bring out a side of you, that you didn't even know existed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were all in for it when they returned to Camp Jaha. He could tell by the look on Kane's face that the nine of them were going to be in for hell upon return. But if he hadn't been willing to walk through hell for Clarke before, he was more than willing now. And it wasn't just for her. It was for Abby too, that woman actually had a firm grasp on reality, on the fact that they weren't children. And that this planet had done more than enough to fuck them all over. That's what made him respect the hell out of her, she along with the rest of them had come so far, and she'd even dared to give him and Clarke seats on the council, a move that had pissed off both Kane and Jaha when they'd gotten word of the news. Not that he gave a flying fuck, if he had any say in the matter, he and Clarke would be co-chancellors and the council would be made up of members of the surviving hundred.

From the looks of it, hours had passed, the sun was rising in the sky and come to think of it, Clarke was probably worrying like crazy. She'd probably lost herself in her work again like she had after Finn, as a distraction from her worry. But he was sure that Octavia would take care of her, and keep her from going absolutely insane.

"Alright, split up. Two of you, go that way."He pointed in the direction that he was referencing. Before repeating the words and sending the others off, leaving him the only one without a partner or a direction. "We'll meet back here in 4 hours."

Everyone split off and headed in their respective directions, and Bellamy headed off in the direction that wasn't already occupied by a group of 2 or 3. His footsteps were heavy as he moved through the trees, making far too much noise, if he was actually attempting to stay hidden he'd be doing a very pathetic job of it. But on the off chance that Abby was out here some where, he'd made decision loud steps were the best way to go. But just to be on the safer side of things, in case he'd manage to rouse something that wasn't Abby, he held his rifle prepared to shoot if need be. After all, he did promise Clarke he'd be careful, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abby wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed, only that she had endured torture after endless torture. Slicing cuts, that were burned to a close before the actions were repeated time and time again. And she tried so hard, God did she try to keep herself from giving in. To keep herself from giving him the satisfaction of hearing her scream. And so far, all he'd done was cut her with that damn blade, that still manged to glint in the torch light of the cave despite the fact that it was covered in her blood.

Her body hung limp now, and she let out little moans of pain. She was tired and she was scared. Scared didn't even begin to cover it. But she was also strong, and if this man wanted anything from her, he'd have to kill her to get it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How many times do you think I can cut you before you scream?"Mikael asked, tilting his head to the side his finger resting on the point of the blade. Of course there was still much more to be done, considering this was far from over.

"I'm not going to give in to you. Why are you doing this?"She looked so pathetic, hanging there from her chains, her body limp, her head barely managing to hold itself up. It was almost funny, if it wasn't for the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him that there was something about her. Something that made her precious. That he shouldn't hurt her anymore. Of course in accordance with his desire for revenge, he pushed all of the thoughts back. Nothing could ruin this plan that was almost a year in the making.

"Why? Because your daughter stole from the two most important people in my life. And now, I'm simply returning the favor." A dark grin took it's place on his face, and he jammed the blade deep into her skin, watching her wriggle and writhe gasping for air that was stolen by the blades force. He prided himself in perfect placement so as to avoid puncturing anything important. Careful to miss the lungs and other vital organs. It would be a shame if she died. Then there would be no one take the message back to Clarke. "But my plans run deeper than that. First it'll be you. And then... I'm going to take from her the second most precious person in her life. After all, what's a Princess without her King. Answer me that, dearest."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Thank you for the valuable advice that I got in the reviews on Chapter Four. I am very grateful. :) This chapter will be centered around Abby and Mikael to make way for plot move along, and I will forewarn: This chapter mentions the use of a hallucinogenic drug and more torture than the past two chapters. Please read at your own risk.**

Abby glared up at the male who had cutting into her skin for the past God only knew how long, and rolled her eyes. "I doubt your willing to take my advice, but I wouldn't go after him." Anyone who knew Bellamy knew that he was a man with a mission, so to speak. And the people he had to protect were far more precious to him than this man had even dared to realize. If there was one thing that was known, Bellamy wasn't going to go down without one hell of a fight.

"I didn't ask for your advice."He cracked his neck, before doing the same to his knuckles and proceeding. Abby looked up from the floor through narrowed eyes, and let out several more little puffs of air. Anything to help her maintain consciousness. She'd done good so far. The man disappeared from view for a few seconds, before returning a different blade in hand. This one was smaller, and it didn't glint, instead it seemed to glow, something lining its edges that looked like a green substance almost the viscosity of tree sap.

"What is that?"A little sprint of panic raced through her, at the idea of what could possibly be on that blade. What in Gods name was he going to do to her now? He just laughed, there was no answer, as the blade pressed to her skin, and the stinging sensation of the cut mingled with the burning of the substance, she released a scream. One that she'd been bottling up for a while now, but it was hard to keep it behind clenched teeth when it felt like her skin was on fire as it raced through her.

"I'm going to make you see your daughter for the monster she is. Before I return you to her."He smirked, his expression dark as per the norm it would seem. But it wasn't until she saw the blurry change her mind brought about that she realized what was happening, and by that point it was too late to make an attempt to stop it.

Clarke stood before her, in her same disheveled appearance that the woman had grown rather used to, the look of the hardships of Earth caked to her skin and hair. Just like it was for everyone else. And she looked angered, hurt, and almost cruel. This wasn't like Clarke. Clarke was level headed and there was something about the cruel look that made her realize that she was in fact faced with an illusion.

"You look like a mess, Mom."There was hint of joy in the tone.

_It's not really her, Abby. It's not really her._

"It looks good on you. It matches the air of deception- Just like the look of despair that matched this one when you got dad floated. You secretly enjoyed that didn't you?"Clarke nodded, eyes narrowing. "I bet you wonder where I got it from? My ability to kill-I got it from you, Mom. I got it from you."

No. She didn't, Clarke didn't kill needlessly. That was the thing, she didn't kill just to kill, she killed only when there was a reason. Only to protect the people she cared about. Like she did with Finn, and like she'd done with 300 grounders before Finn. She killed to preserve life. Not to destroy it. Though she couldn't help but feel that tiny tinge of remorse that came every time she thought about Jake. It hadn't been her intention to get him floated. She was hoping that Thelonious would have half a mind to talk him out of telling everyone the truth about the Air Supply, not float him for it, and she definitely hadn't expected him to put Clarke in solitary. The more she knew, now she could tell you that that was exactly the type of man he was. Then, she hadn't been so quick to believe it.

"No. I didn't. I had no intention to kill your father, Clarke."

_Face your demons, Abby. That's what this is, just face your demons with a brave face. Pretend you aren't scared._

" killed him and I hate you for it."The feeling of the blade piercing her skin was like a blow to heart, she had to clear her mind, she couldn't let herself for one second believe that this was actually her daughter, because it wasn't.

A deep gasp for air escaped her as she attempted to reconcile with herself about the events that lead to this. Her demons, this was all this was, her demons coming to bite her in the ass, because she left them unfaced for so damn long.

"You might as well have just pressed the damn button yourself."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mikael watched from the side lines as the woman argued with herself, it was entertaining to say the least, and it gave him a moment to step to the side and assess those nagging feelings digging into his brain. Looking at the woman and actually taking time to see her as a person and not just a target, it was obvious, the reason why his mind kept screaming at him. Her hair, those eyes. She almost exactly resembled his wife.

Even more so in the curve of her face and the shape of her body. But there was one striking contrast that was enough to make him want to hurl himself off a cliff thinking about it. The demeanor in times of distress. They were both strong women, both of them were equally fierce in their ability to hang on when under extreme duress.

But he wouldn't stop. No, he would wait. Until the drug was out of her system, an event that would likely not come to pass until the next morning. So instead he opted to lay himself against the cave wall, and sleep, after twenty four hours of torturing this woman, he himself was exhausted, and sleep came in a matter of seconds, sucking him in and holding him under for a much needed nap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Abby endured the torment, in an attempt to keep some of her dignity, but after side eying her captor who was against the wall asleep, she finally gave in, her body going completely limp, and a breath escaping her as she allowed herself to block all of it out, sleep over taking her. Or wasn't it just the unconscious state that'd been threatening to pull her under for hours. She couldn't exactly be sure.

But one thing she was sure of, it was easy to find herself dreaming of happier things, once consciousness slipped away. The pain of the wounds seemed to disappear as if they'd never been there, and she was thankful for that.

After all there was only so much that the body could handle before it snapped under pressure, and she knew that better than anyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brown eyes blinked open, to find herself greeted with a hand wrapped firmly in her hair, as she was drug along the floor like a rag doll behind a small child. Abby could feel the pain in her arms as she reached up taking a firm grip on the male's wrist. If she'd have been any stronger, she'd have attempted to break it to make an escape, but she could barely move her arms, without the screaming pain from the day prior stopping her.

If circumstances had been different she'd have been in awe at the scenery, the cave itself was a beautiful structure. But the lake within seemed even more majestic. But she had a feeling that thought wouldn't last long.

Of course her feeling was correct. She was sure of that when her body was thrust under the water, and her head was held under. If she wasn't fighting for air, the water would've been relaxing, easing on her strained hurt muscles. But she was currently fighting to keep herself for pulling in water instead of oxygen.

Her arms flailed about, as she tried to do anything she could manage to knock him off of her. All of her attempts proved fruitless. Just when she was about to give up, she was pulled up from the waters depths and the distinctive accented laugh of the man who had her captive, met her ears. She gasped for air, pulling in valuable oxygen, before he pushed her back under.

The process continued for an eternity, she counted the seconds as a distraction, trying to keep herself from thinking about her de-oxygenated lungs. It had been almost an hour now, since he'd started, and she'd been shoved under and brought out and the process repeated so many times she'd lost count. An hour of this suffering. And he was still keeping her alive. It didn't make a bit of sense to her. She was sure by now he'd just give up and kill her already. She was positive that would leave a better message than leaving her alive would.

But who was she to tell the mastermind how to carry out his plans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He pulled her out of the water, strong arms, dragging her back to her chains. Mikael had decided that it was time to see if he could make her stop teasing at his memories. He was going to figure out a way to destroy any resemblance to his wife this bitch held and then he was going to give up on her. She may not have wanted to admit it to him, but he could clearly see, she was breaking.

He wrapped the chains around her wrist again, snapping the lock into place. He smirked lifting the barbed whip from it's position on a small rock table, and he cracked it once with a loud sickening snap across the floor. That gained a noteable flinch from her. Good. He loved the idea of her being afraid of him, of what he would do to her.

He lifted the whip, cracking it down across her face, dragging the barbs through her skin, which was pulled up in tiny tufts leaving trails of red across her face, and she still managed to look like her. Rage consumed him, and he cracked the whip relentlessly across her flesh. Over and over and over, he didn't stop, anything to make her stop seeming so strong, anything to keep her from looking at him with those eyes that were riminscisent of his wife's. He would give anything including his soul to stop finding reminders of her in this woman's face, body and actions.

And finally, when he'd reduced her to nothing but a sobbing mess in front of him, screams ripping from her throat, tears streaming from her eyes, he gave up. The whip fell from his hand and he decided he was done playing this game with her. It was time to get someone who wasn't going to pull at his memories and dig into his heart, because every time he looked at her, he could only see his Laurane, and he wanted to stop seeing the painful reminders of the past that he'd had. The happiness, the joy of his life. This woman, this bitch from the Sky was not her. And he would not let his mind conceive other wise.

He forced her to turn in her chains, so that he could access her back, and that's when the true screams began.

"Please, please don't!"The woman shrieked, and he felt himself give in to a piece of his former humanity. Fingers trailing through bloodied hair, down the scarred skin of her back in a gentle attempt to calm her.

"It's almost over, I promise."

And again the whip, cracked over skin.  
>Eliciting screams louder than those previous as he managed to reopen old wounds and create new.<p>

If there was one thing he was sure of, he wasn't human anymore. He was a monster, driven by one thing and one thing only, bringing justice to the bitch that took his humanity away.__


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Alright, so I know the wait has been antagonizing for me to update the new chapter. But here I am to give you what you want. Also I have received several notices about the lack of distinguishing marks to signify POV changes. And I wanted to inform that I do in fact use them. I think something happens between the upload and the adding of the chapter that may remove them from the document. I have no idea. I am sorry about this. And I will try to find a solution.**

Abby was sure she was going to die, as she dragged herself back to Camp Jaha. She'd lost consciousness somewhere around the end of all of it, and she'd found herself in the woods what she could only assume was hours later, dragging herself back towards home, a feeling of weakness filling her. Somewhere along the journey she'd done something to her leg, from the looks of it, it was broken but she could remember the cause, probably because her only worry had been getting home.  
>Home. Which she could see right before her. It seemed like a damn miracle seeing the gate through the tree line.<p>

Part of the search team was on their way back through the woods coming towards the entrance of camp when they'd found her, arms worked to pull the woman up and support her as they moved swiftly back into camp.

Clarke had been the first to notice, despite what everyone was telling her, she'd spent most of the night waiting just inside the gate for the return of the search teams and of her mother and Bellamy. She had not expected to see her mother coming back to camp, a bloodied mess, leg twisted at an odd angle as if someone had beaten her to a pulp. The noise that escaped her was something that mingled between shock and horror.

"Mom..."There was a strangled cry wrapped around the word as she rushed forward and told the two kids to get her into medical so that surgery could begin. She was quick to calm herself, following closely behind, her mind only slightly trailing off to Bellamy who hadn't returned yet.

Hands worked with fierce concentration as the rest of the medical staff moved around her, Clarke herself was leading the operation, cleaning and sewing up wounds, dealing with the burns that her mother had sustained, and the massive wounds. Whoever had done this, had wanted to keep her alive, she realized that with each burn she found, they had closed off other smaller wounds. She couldn't let herself think about it right now. What she needed to do was ensure that everything was fine, that her mother was going to live. Then she needed to get a search team out for Bellamy, and whatever the hell had done this, because she refused to believe that her mothers attacker was human. No human would do this. Unless they were a grounder, it was common knowledge that the grounders were harsh in manners such as these. But with the alliance, it didn't make sense for any of them to have done it. She'd have to speak with Lexa. For the good of her people, whatever it was, wouldn't have the chance to strike again.

It took hours to seal all of the wounds and apply salve to all of the burns on her skin, and during that time Clarke had managed to some how keep her head. But leaving medical she saw Octavia talking with a guard, and she could hear the panic from a distance. Bellamy hadn't returned yet, and they had been preparing to shock lash the two boys who'd brought her mother home. She was putting a stop to that immediately.

"Stop!"Her tone was fierce, and she walked up to the guards who were at work, "Let them down. They saved my mother and if they're going to be punished for that- That's bullshit."

She would protect her own.

Kane gave her a look that said that he was not impressed by her outburst, but then nodded, and had the boys released. Clarke heaved a sigh, as they approached her muttering thanks that weren't required.

"I need you two to do something for me. Go find the rest the others, and then find Bellamy."Clarke took a deep breath, "When you return you'll be pardoned for whatever they think you've done wrong. I'll see to that."

She fully believe that her mother wouldn't let the ones who saved her life be punished. It wasn't like her at all.

-  
>Bellamy had been wandering for what seemed like an eternity, in truth it'd only been about two days. He'd sworn he wouldn't return until he'd found her mother. He intended to do exactly that. That was the thing about Clarke though, he'd walk through hell for her, and he'd do it with a damn smile on his face. She was the reason that he'd spent two days trudging through the woods trying to find her mother, who honestly wasn't exactly his biggest fan, and he recipricated such feelings on all things except for one, Clarke.<p>

The sound of footsteps breaking a branch caught his attention. It wasn't his own footsteps, he was watching where he stepped so as too avoid making any sounds that would attract unwanted attention, and the thought tugged at his mind that whoever it was may have made the same mistake, then again, if it was Abby, she wouldn't be trying to conceal her steps. She'd likely be trying to make as much noise as she could to be found. So he readied his gun, keeping his eyes open as he scanned the area for the sound of the noise.

His eyes turned to the trees where he spotted who'd made the sound, a male trying to hide among the mess of leaves, he took his aim. Apparently this grounder hadn't gotten the memo that they weren't exactly enemies anymore. Another set of footsteps caught his attention and curiosity got the best of him. Five seconds his eyes had spent off the man in the trees, and when he'd turned back the man was gone. Shit.

In a matter of a few more seconds his gun was on the ground and the man made an attempt at restraining him. Too bad it wasn't that easy. He jammed an elbow back into the man's stomach, hard enough to make him lose his grip. He'd made a move towards his gun but his assailant made sure that it was in vain. So no guns. Guess he was going to have to do this the hard way. He met the grounder lunge for lunge in attempt to save his own damn skin. He promised he'd be careful, that he'd come home in one piece. And he had to for Octavia, for Clarke.

He'd done a good job at keeping himself upright and avoiding hits until the bastard disappeared again, son of a bitch, He felt a stinging sensation in the back of his neck, and then- he felt absolutely nothing.

-  
>Mikael had found his next victim. After weeks and weeks of studying he'd finally gotten what he wanted. His final stop before he went after the bitch herself. Then again, after he was finished, he likely wouldn't have to go after Clarke, Clarke would find him. He wiped some blood from his lip, before lifting the unconscious sky person up and carrying him towards the dungeon he'd created over months specifically for this.<p>

The chains he used on this one were more lenient than the ones he'd used on the woman, they allowed for fighting room, because this was only worth it if there was fight involved. Mikael wanted the boy to fight him, and then as he realized that nothing and no one was going to help him, he wanted to watch him resign himself to the suffering that was to come. And the best part was, Clarke wouldn't come looking, because she would be too busy dealing with her mother to bring herself to leave. The only one he actually had to worry about was Octavia, and he'd deal with that when the time came. If it came, at this point he would assume that the Sky People had turned to cowering within their fence. Which thrilled him to a point.

-  
>Victory had spent days with this tribe, and she'd recouperated and the leader of the tribe had helped her making her a map of the terrain and showing her where she could find her own village, so that she could return home. She had stayed only because the flame haired woman had asked such of her, had offered her food, drink, and had even trained her a bit, and offered weapons.<p>

She knew that if she was going to make the trek and make it home to her father that she had to be the warrior she'd failed to be so many times before. She would have to be fierce and she would have to kill, there was no question to the matter. The road between here and there was long and hard, and she would be faced with an abundance of things that wanted to kill her. So she'd have to kill them first. Or at least that was how Ileia had explained it.

The time was now, and she was finally making her way from the camp, footsteps carrying her from their gates with the map in her hands, scrawled with stolen paper and stolen utensils. She was headed home, where she would find her father. Who would likely be over joyed to see her. To see that she was not dead.

Then again she couldn't be too sure exactly what was happening back home. For all she knew her father was dead. But that wasn't a thought she was willing to face.

With the two boys sent back out to find Bellamy and the others that had been in their group, Clarke had retreated back into medical and was now perched on the floor beside her mothers cot, elbows propped on her knees, head cradled in her hands. Her eyes flickered back and forth on occasion from the floor to her mother, and back.

There had been something disturbing that she'd attempted not to think about as she'd done her best to fix the wounds that had been inflicted upon her mother. Words that had been cut into her skin, like a damn letter to send a message to no one but her. And now that she'd had time to think about it, she was losing her mind.

_You burned my people. I will burn yours.  
>The fault can only be rested with you.<em>

The letters had been small but still readable, a message to her. It was obvious. This was her fault. She'd burned grounders, and she was naive to believe that there weren't those out there who would retaliate against her given opportunity. But it was the ending of the message that alarmed her most, because she couldn't leave her mother. She couldn't bring herself to leave her bed side to think about anything about how this had been her fault.

_What is a Princess without a King?_

  
>She knew the answer. Absolutely nothing. She needed her mother, in a sense that she was the one who'd given her life, she'd raised her and despite the fact that her mother had inadvertantly killed her father, she didn't wish death on her. But there was that part of her that wanted to run into the woods and offer anything in exchange for Bellamy.<p>

She took a deep breath, again lifting her eyes to her mother who was resting thanks to the pain killers and anesthesia. Bellamy was strong, and he'd promised her that he would be careful. If it came down to it, he'd do whatever it took to survive to come back to Octavia, Octavia always came first, she was just the added bonus of returning to camp.

It took what seemed like hours more, but eventually Clarke had fallen asleep, tears streaking down her face.

-  
>Mikael had taken his seat against the far cave wall, furthest away from the reach of the chains, and he'd taken to sharpening a blade. His attention was drawn when he heard and angered cry and the sound of jerking chains. He laughed, "Finally the king wakes."<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- This chapter is going to be physically painful for me to write. And I'm going to try to make it a good chapter. With lots of good stuff plot wise and all that junk. XD Anyway. I hope you enjoy this chapter, cause it hurt me to write every single bit of it.  
>Trigger Warnings: Drug Abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood.<strong>

"Finally the King wakes."The words earned him a glare, and more violent struggles that mingled with angered cries that echoed off the walls of the cave. Mikael found joy in what he'd chosen to do, letting his newest choice in victim wear himself down with his frustration and anger. Then the real fun would begin. He would take his good sweet time with this one, there was no resembelence to anyone he knew in the boy. There was nothing stopping him from doing his worst. Nothing except the plan.

While, yes, it was part of his plan to cause him pain, the worst part that was in store for this one was completely different from what had been in store for Abby. He'd spent a lot of time collecting the sap from the Boka trees just for what he had in store. Sure he'd used a little on Abby but this was different, this would be different, worse in all ways, and he loved the idea, the thrill it gave him to know that he was going to cause that brand of suffering.

"Who the hell are you?"

Analyzing the tone which had been used to spit the words, he could sense, anger, frustration (both obvious) but there was the slightest tinge of fear tainting the edges, and that brought a grin to his features. How to answer? He could be honest, it's not like the boy would remember when he was finished with him.

"Not who, what would have been the better question to ask."

Again there was that fear, a passive sort of emotion only visible for a split second in his eyes, he looked like the type who knew about the type of monsters that resided in this world, who knew that they were everywhere hidden under everyone.

xxx8o8xxx 

Clarke wasn't sure how much time had passed, she hadn't been out of the med tent since her mother had been brought back to camp. She remained by her side while she slept, and she'd still yet to actually wake up yet, which was understandable. Every time she tried, there was another round of pain medication and something to put her out, because with the extent of the damage it wasn't a good idea for her to be moving around and everyone knew that if she was awake that was the first thing she'd want to do.

"Clarke-?"Her mother's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she got up moving to go get more of the necessary medications, when she reached out and took hold of her arm, stopping her from going to far. "No more. I know what your doing, and you can't afford to waste the supplies on me."

She was right, but to be honest it wasn't a waste. It was meant to help her. And she was determined to do such. Even if the woman fought her to the end about it. "If I don't, will you try to get out of that bed?"

"It's possible."There was a joking tone in her mothers voice, and Clarke took a breath, realizing that her mother hadn't lost herself because of what had happened. She was still the leader, and she would still do what she thought was best for everyone.

"Kane's got everything under control with those from the Ark, Mom. And Octavia and I are keeping the rest of the hundred under control while Bellamy is gone. We've sent out a search team to find him, because they went looking for you."She explained. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Lexa soon, Octavia will be coming to get me when she arrives. I need to know what she knows about who did this to you. And then we need to come up with a plan to get rid of them/it."

"I'm so proud of you."To hear those words from her mother, despite everything, despite the way she'd treated her the past year, she was sure that she'd never hear those words. But her mother was still proud of who she'd become. Of what she'd done. Though she was sure it was only the good things, and not the bad. Like having sent Bellamy into the mountain (which at first had been a bad thing, but ended up saving them), being the reason that Lincoln had been killed, being the reason that all of this had happened to her.

"Sometimes I wonder if you have any reason to be."Clarke responded her tone reflecting her thoughts, sadness dripping from the words, along with guilt. That had always been one of her biggest problems. She was too emotional.

"You're a good person, Clarke. You've done what you believed to be the best for all of your people even when it costed you so much. The grounders trust you, your people trust you. I want to offer you seats on the council, it's about a year late, but I think it would be good. You wouldn't be leading, but you would still have a say."Her mother's voice sounded tired, and to be completely honest she wasn't sure how she felt about the words. Her mother was proud of her leadership skills, enough so to want to put her on the council, which meant she got to make decisions, she got to help decide what was best. "Your father would be so proud of you."

Under different circumstances Clarke would've lashed out about her bringing up her father. It was a sore subject that she didn't like to talk about. Her mother had been the one to tell Jaha about his plan to viral on the Ark, and it still didn't sit well with her. But with time she came to understand that it hadn't been her mothers intentions to actually get him killed. "He would wouldn't he?"

She nodded, and Clarke could tell that her eye lids were growing heavy and that she was starting to drift to sleep. It was then that Octavia reappeared in the tent, and nodded, to inform her that Lexa had arrived. The war painted armor clad woman entered the tent passing Octavia and approaching her, to look at Abby, almost as if to examine the damage and give an assessment of her own.

Clarke forced on her brave face, and gestured as if to ask if they could take the conversation elsewhere, which was answered by a nod, and she watched as the woman walked out of the tent and she followed close behind.

"What do you know?"She asked, breathing out a long exhale.

"The weapon that marred her face, is a type of barbed whip, it is one of the many weapons our warriors are trained to use meaning the one who did this was one of my own, and if not they were exiled. I've questioned my men, most of them were home with their families. Though there is one who was against the alliance from the start, he exiled himself. A warrior named Mikael, who refused peace until he got retribution for the lives of his wife and daughter, lives that were taken by you."

"I did what I had to to keep my people alive. Something I am sure you know a lot about."Clarke breathed the words, more evidence that this was her fault. And it made sense, considering the threat to Bellamy.

"The past will not be held against you, this truce is beneficial still. Clarke, _Ste yuj_. The times that are to come will be rough, but you are a survivor."Clarke measured the next few seconds in the breaths that passed between the two of them. Otherwise there was no other noise, and her attention turned to see what had led to the silence.

A girl, stumbled up to the gate, she looked exhausted, she looked familiar. She was in the mountain. Clarke remembered her, she was grounder girl that they had taken in, that she herself had kept protected to avoid finding out what they'd do if they caught her. Victory.

xxx8o8xxx 

Mikael thought he knew why Clarke had chosen this one, he was strong, fierce, and he had a lot of fight in him. Hours had passed, and he'd still kept fighting. Mikael had to admit while it had been fun for a while, he was starting to get bored with the show of watching him struggle, he wanted to watch him bleed.

He'd have to keep his distance, the downside to the leniency in the chains. He'd have to work him over to bring him to unconsciousness, and tighten them before he could actually get close enough. But he had something that worked just as well as any blade, he stood from the floor, moving over to pick up the whip he'd used on Abby.

He cracked it across the floor once, and he could've sworn he'd almost since a bit of a flinch, it was unnoticable like a tiny twitch of the eyes, but it was just enough for him to snap the whip down across skin. He watched as little swells of red bubbled up from the tiny wounds created by the barbs, and he ripped it back, drawing more blood. He did the same for what seemed like an eternity and he was still awake, still fighting. He had a renewed appreciation for the boy. But he was still nothing more than a boy. He dropped the whip and he approached.

"You're either really brave or really stupid."The comment was complimented by well aimed punch to the jaw. He reveled in the feeling of the impact, before he pulled back and continued to rain physical attacks upon his prisoner.

xxx8o8xxx

Bellamy's head was reeling from the pain and still, he managed to keep some tiny bit of composure. Sure it was painful, and sure his body had forced him to unleash several sounds that distinguished this, he was still managed to maintain a little bit of himself. That sarcasm that no situation really seemed to take from him. It was a problem that would get him trouble, if he wasn't already in about as much trouble as he could possibly manage to find himself in.

"I've been told I'm both on numerous occasions."He spat the words, his voice dripping with malice, that pain he'd felt being channeled into anger. Who the hell was sick enough to do this to a person? Well wasn't that the question of the day, sure he'd killed his own fair share of people, but this, this was a new low for humanity. Lowering itself to torture such as this, it was so grounder like, and inhuman.

As the blows continued to meet him, dragging the air from his lungs, and leaving him in more pain, he gave himself reasons to endure it. Octavia, he had to get back to camp for her. Like hell after everything he'd been through he was going to die and leave her alone, he didn't care if she was strong enough to handle herself or not. She was still his little sister, and still his responsibility. Clarke, who'd kissed him and told him to be careful. This wasn't exactly careful, but he'd been in worse situations. The rest of the hundred, his family. Jasper, Monty, Miller, Harper, his friends. The others who actually meant something to him. They were the reason he had to make it through this.

And he kept making it a point, mentally repeating the names, the reasons he would survive this.

xxx8o8xxx

When they brought her into camp, Victory was brought into the medical tent to ensure that she hadn't sustained any injuries of her own, despite the fact that she had a lot of blood on her. After an extensive check up, it appeared that she only had a few minor scrapes and scratches and that most of the blood belonged to others and was not her own. She looked scared, shaken even.

"Hey, look at me, you're safe now. You're safe now."Clarke repeated, as the girl broke into tears. Clarke remembered talking to her once, she wasn't a warrior, she innocent, she'd never killed before. That's what she'd told her, but from the looks of it, in order to ensure that she made it here, she'd had no choice. Arms encircled around the girl, hugging her close. "You're okay."

"Lexa, can you send a few of your men out to search for the party I sent after Bellamy?"Clarke spoke, feeling the woman's eyes staring holes into her, as she fussed over the girl who was sitting in front of her.

She nodded, and started out into the camp, sending the few men she'd brought with her, claiming they were not among enemies that she was in no danger. Then she ducked back into the tent and returned to where she sat working on Victory's scrapes.

xxx8o8xxx

"Where is my father, Commander?"Victory's voice was weak as she asked the question. She feared the worst. She watched as Clarke stepped to the side, giving way to the Commander, who took her place. She'd never envisioned the Commander being the type to do such, this was what healers were for. But as she cleaned the few scrapes she'd obtained, she'd quickly changed her mind.

Lexa's hands were gentle with her, and while she was a fierce presence she was a good leader in the respect that she knew how to handle each one of her people, and she understood some people weren't made to be warriors.

"Let me start by saying, I'm proud of you."She'd known Lexa before she'd been Commander, before the Sky people had come, and she knew that the woman before her knew how she must've felt. "You did what you had to, in order to survive, you are a warrior, in your own right."

Not that she'd say such in the presence of a real warrior, she was no warrior in the shadow of them. "And as for your father, after you left, he was taken with grief, he struck himself from the tribe. Refusing to stay if we were to ally with those who he thought killed you, and your mother."

xxx8o8xxx

Hours had passed of the torment that he'd been causing and while the boy did not strike out at him but twice in the first few hours that had transpired. He figured it was time to start the fun part, his hand dipped into the large bowl that contained the sap that would carry out his darkest desires. It was an easy thing for him to do, slathering the green goo across the open wounds and watching his skin soak it up as if it was water.

"You may think that your attitude will save you, but nothing can save you from me." His expression was wicked, as he waited for the drug to take effect, and he would know when it did.

xxx8o8xxx

If there was anything Bellamy had in abundance it was a strong will. He could feel the drug racing through his system, trying to drag him down and force him into a stupor and he fought against it hard, as if the sheer force of his will would save him from its effects. And while it did for a while, it didn't work forever.

He could feel his mind clouding with the effects, and the line between reality and illusion became thin and eventually disappeared entirely, giving way to painful reminders of his failures. The times he'd failed to protect Octavia. The times he'd failed to protect Clarke. The things he'd done in order to protect them that had ended in unfortunate deaths of others.

Illusions brought the dead to him. The dead who took their vengence out on his body that was already weakened from the earlier torments, and yet he still managed to keep himself. It wasn't real. It couldn't possibly be real. The dead were dead.

_Octavia, Clarke, Jasper, Monty, Raven, Harper, Miller. His people._

The reasons he had to believe that this was not real. That the dead had not come back to exact their vengence. Jibes about his character dug into him like knives, telling him what he already knew. He was a monster. He'd known it for the longest time. Earth had made him that way, the thought of Earth had made him that way, when he'd shot Jaha to get there in the first place. It was the things he'd do to protect those he cared about. In the beginning it had just been Octavia that he actually gave a damn about, but as time passed, the feeling grew to blanket the entire hundred. Some more than others. But still all of them.

"Get out of my head!"

xxx8o8xxx

Mikael left him to his torment, moving from the cave, and out into the woods. By this point they'd be sending out search parties, and it was unfortunate when the group of three found what they'd been looking for. Him. Their deaths had been swift and merciless, but it was what he intended to do with the dead that made it worse. After all, he had to send a message. Whoever came after him, would die. It was simple as that.

Xxx8o8xxx

The camp was silent outside the medical tent, Clarke had assumed that everyone had gone to sleep. The fence ran on it's highest voltage, so that even the guards could sleep, after all there were no weak spots in a fence that went all the way around the camp. And the gate could only be opened from the inside. She assumed that the night guards would stand at their post and were likely lolling off into dream land, while she herself had made it a statement to attempt to stay up all night so that she could watch her mother, and Victory.

Even Lexa had retired for the night, leaving her by herself. With no one but her sleeping mother and the sleeping teen who had stumbled her way into camp a few short hours ago. Loneliness wasn't something that she should've been faced with at that moment, it gave her time to assess how she felt about the knowledge that she'd obtained.

It gave her time to let it sit and fester in her mind, the idea that this was her fault, and there was no other explanation for it. Her mother was nearly killed, and Bellamy was missing, because of her.

"You're worrying."Her mother's voice was a whisper, and looked up at the woman who'd returned to wakefulness after sleeping most of the day away.

"It's my right. The search parties haven't returned yet, not ours or the grounders. He likely has Bellamy. I am worried. He could've killed you, Mom. He almost did. If they hadn't found you when they did, you would've died."She didn't want to think about the same thing happening to Bellamy. It hurt to think about.

"He doesn't want to kill us. He'll have far more to worry about than him. He can take care of himself, Clarke you know that. He would walk through hell for you. I'm sure he would understand the circumstances."Her mother was right, and she knew that if his mother were still alive, he would choose his mother over her. It was like such choices were wired into the human consciousness. They cared for people of their own blood. It was common. He would understand.

"Okay."She nodded, allowing herself to relax and let her mind drift towards other things, like changing her mothers bandages, and recleaning the wounds. Before she knew it the sun was rising outside. She stepped out of the tent for a moment, to go get water and food. Looking out beyond the fence she'd hoped that she'd see one of the search parties return, but instead she saw something far more gruesome.  
>Along the tree line, stood three stakes holding the bodies of two males and female. Members of the hundred that had gone on the search with Bellamy. Two of them being those who'd saved her mother. The bodies almost looked inhuman, mangled and torn apart so much so that it made her physically ill. She didn't have to leave the camp to see that they were dead.<p>

A choked sound left her lips, and she stumbled back into the medical tent, hitting the ground, as tears spilt from her eyes. She'd sent them back out there. She'd killed them.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- So this chapter takes place after a skip, because while I do intend on making you suffer with what happens. I don't intend to make you wait for three chapters of the same thing written in different ways. Anyway, without further ado, enjoy chapter 8. Please leave me reviews. They fuel me.**

**Trigger Warnings: Drug Addiction**

There was a lingering dread in her heart, that left her wondering when or even if he would come back to camp. The feeling felt almost like it had when she'd sent him into that Mountain, the sensation that she couldn't save him from whatever would hurt him. She was weak. Too weak. At least recently anyway, there had been a time when strength was required and she'd been strong for the sake of her people. But too many people were dying because of her choices, and Clarke feared with everything inside of her that he would be next. That he would die next.

Her mothers recovery was coming along rather well, considering the amount of injuries she'd sustained over the last two weeks her mother had managed to heal up and her wounds were starting to heal and some of them were even gone leaving nothing but scars in their wake. She'd worried about her mother primarily, she was the most important at this point. To her anyway, to Octavia, she'd fought and fought until finally they let her go on a rescue mission of her own. Clarke had urged her before she left not to do anything too reckless, that Bellamy would never forgive her if she got herself hurt for him.

Octavia didn't need her to her that though. It was personally her own way of worrying about the girl in the midst of everything that had happened. The other matter was Victory, the child who'd come into their camp, covered in blood. She was doing better, training with Lexa of all people. Clarke had to admit the progress was going quite well. The sparing sessions between Grounders and Sky People in the middle of camp had given her a distraction over the past few days after her mother had been officially released from the medical center.

All in all, everything was business as usual. Except for one thing. Bellamy was missing, and three kids were dead because of her.

Xxx8o8xxx

Bellamy wasn't sure how much time had passed. Not that it mattered much. It had taken him an eternity to figure out that he was on his own, that there would be no rescue for him. Who the hell would dare risk their head for him? He'd given up on attempting to convince himself that it was the drug talking. Then again, a few hundred doses later, he'd found himself addicted to the substance and the sweet lies that came with it. So much so he'd convinced himself that the lies were truth.

No one was coming for him.

They wouldn't let Octavia leave-

And Clarke didn't care.

His body was still battered, from daily beatings in between drug induced stupors, and damnit all did he feel weak. Powerless. Helpless. There were a thousand and one words to describe how he felt, but as he'd heard before a picture was worth a thousand words, and anyone who walked in and saw him in this state would think the last word.

Pathetic.

His body was growing feverish, like it had every time his captor was late with one of dosages and while he never lowered himself to the level of begging for more. It was definitely starting to look like an option.

The sound of the familiar footsteps pulled his attention to where the son of a bitch stood, with more of the sweet misery that come to consume his life.

Thank God.

Xxx8o8xxx

Octavia cut through the forest, through large walls of brush in the unexplored area. The only thing she saw was the entrance to a cave, from which she heard cries of something in a voice that was more than familiar to her.

Bellamy.

He was hurt. That was the first thought that came to her mind, and when she saw the man breach the exit of the cave she approached with quiet cat like motions. Her blade pressing hard against the male's neck, and she took a breath before speaking.

"_Ai laik Okteivia kom Skaikru_, and you have something I want."

And she would've killed him, had she been less worried about Bellamy's well being to actually torment the bastard the way he'd likely tormented her big brother. She tossed the man aside, slashing once at him.

"Now leave before I do kill you."

xxx8o8xxx

Mikael knew when to realize that he'd lost. Which was hilarious to him, considering exactly how wrong that was. He had all of the pieces right where he wanted them in this game of war. Octavia had come for her brother but in the time it'd taken her to find him, he'd become dependent on the sap of the tree, and he'd effectively burned the only ones with in a hundred mile radius earlier that morning.

So the truth was, he would likely die from the withdraws. Then again, it was possible that he would survive, but the lies planted in his head by his own illusions and the product of his suffering. The bitch had still lost her most trusted companion. And that was his plan all along.

The idea that in a few hours, Clarke would be suffering worse than she already was, would bring him joy as he escaped into the woods to find refuge to heal. So that he'd be ready when she came to him for the vengence she was owed.

And that drove him to keep moving.

Xxx8o8xxx

Octavia entered the cave, steeling herself for what she expected she'd see. There inside, in chains was Bellamy, alive, but brutalized. It left an uncomfortable feeling inside her that made her feel like she was going to be sick. She worked the chains, pulling them off of him, and catching him as his body started to collapse.

"Bell, can you hear me?"

It was strange to be praying to Gods she didn't even believe in that he would answer her. That there would be a straight answer, that he was some how okay after everything. But she was answered with a confusing mess of words instead.

"It's okay, Big Brother, we're going home."

With one arm draped over her shoulders, she wrapped the other around his waist providing support as she pulled him out of the cave and started through the woods. It was 5 hour trek back to camp, and by the time they arrived she was exhausted from supporting his weight. He still hadn't come out of whatever stupor he was in. Guards met her at the gate, and helped her get him into the med tent, where Clarke started to tend to him.

Xxx8o8xxx

Clarke kept her calm, at least he was alive. He was alive. But he was so beaten up that it was hard to tell. If it wasn't for the pulse she felt and the heat that his body released, she'd have believed he was dead. Lucky for her, and for him she was good at what she did. She grabbed one of the towels and dunked it into some water, beginning to clean the wounds that rested over him, Octavia hovering closely.

She'd managed to get all of the blood off of him to see the extent of the wounds, and it wasn't until she'd started cleaning wounds themselves with alcohol, that he seemed to wake up. He writhed beneath her touch, eyes closed, and feverish. But then they opened, and she could feel her heart snap into what seemed like a million pieces when he spoke to her.

"Get the hell away from me."

The words stung, digging into her like a thousand needles sticking into her and pulling out only to find a new place to jab themselves. She withdrew her hand, keeping her face emotionless.

"Bellamy, I have to clean your wounds-"

"Get someone else to do it. I don't want you anywhere near me."

And that was the knife twisting into her heart that caused her to stumble backwards like a physical blow had been pressed to her chest.

He hated her.

_And she deserved it._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- So I love the comments that I got on the last chapter. So much so that I feel like they are owed personal responses. So to queserasera00, you have no idea how bad these next few chapters are going to hurt you. But then again I'm assuming you wouldn't be here unless you wanted feels. Soooooo- EmLouD, yes poor baby. You've got a long way to go until things are okay again.  
>Lencime, Oh honey, you asked. You shall receive. <strong>

Clarke felt lost. More than lost to be completely honest. It felt like a piece of her soul had been practically ripped out of her chest with every time he turned her away. He wouldn't even let her sit in a place where he could see her without completely losing his mind at her. It was understandable, after all of this had been her fault. Surely he'd figured that out.

It was funny, how one second her life was just starting to feel normal, and then that had been ripped from her. First her mother, and now, now the one person that made everything feel okay in the first place. Had he forgotten everything? In the two weeks that she spent tending to her mother while he suffered, had he forgotten all the times that the worst had happened and they'd made it out alive? Hell, he'd almost died, twice because of Mount Weather. Because of her, and he'd never done this. So why now?

What the hell had changed?

She sat currently in the corner of the med tent, on the ground, watching him where he couldn't see her, because she didn't want to hear the harsh words that he would spout at her, the words that would make her regret choosing to stay with her mother, who while she'd practically hated her for the past year, was still her mother. Did he even know about her mother? She felt like it wasn't likely.

But she also felt that even if he did, it wouldn't change his mind.

Right now, he was sleeping, fitfully, and every part of her had been tempted to get up and go run her fingers through his hair just to revel in the fact that he was still alive. That he hadn't died because of her. The flap to the tent lifted and her mother entered, walking on her crutches.

"How's he doing?"She asked, and Clarke shrugged. It wasn't like she could get close enough to check vitals or check wounds.

"I don't know, he won't let me get close enough to find out."

He'd been back for approximately twelve hours, the majority of which she spent curled up in the corner of the tent, watching him because if it seemed like she was going to completely lose him, she was going to say fuck it to what he wanted, and she would make sure he didn't die. But other wise, he wouldn't see her. Hell, he wouldn't even know she was there.

Because it was what he wanted.

And at that moment, she didn't have the right to anything she wanted.

Xxx8o8xxx

Mikael had spent the last twelve hours, patching up the large wound that Octavia had created with her blade, and then he'd slept for what seemed like an eternity. It was alright though, he had time. He had all of the time in the world. If there was one thing about his next target that he learned over the last year. It was that she didn't give up easily, and that she'd hold out hope for some sort of sign, and then when she didn't get any- It would be over.

And he'd finally have what he wanted.

Her.

In chains.

Begging for his mercy.

Which she wouldn't receive, no matter how much she begged for it.

Xxx8o8xxx

Bellamy laid in the cot eyes closed as he heard the sound of Abby's voice and Clarke's voice, for a moment he'd thought it was the drug induced illusions were different than this. And Clarke, sounded like she'd been crying. Not that it really mattered all that much. He was still convinced that this had in fact been her fault.

If it wasn't for her, he'd have been fine.

After all, she was the reason he'd left camp, to go find her mother. And now look at him. It seemed like if he never saw her blonde hair again it would be all too soon.

He'd waited for her. He'd held on for her. There had been a part of him that had prayed she'd stay in camp, for her own safety, now he didn't give a fuck. Maybe she deserved whatever that bastard wanted to- No. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even his worst enemies. Not even her. No one deserved what had been done to him.

"If he were anything like himself, do you think he'd have asked me to leave you for him?"Clarke's voice entered his mind again. His ears picking up on the fresh tears that were in her tone. Maybe he didn't have all of the facts. But even then, it wasn't like it mattered. Nothing could change what had been done to him.

And nothing could change that it'd been her fault.

Xxx8o8xxx

"If he were anything like himself, do you think he'd have asked me to leave you for him?"Clarke felt that her throat was all too dry as she tried to speak the words through a fresh stream of tears. That was the shitty thing about heart break, when it struck you were it's victim completely. Tears and all.

"Clarke, I think you need to give him time. We don't exactly understand the extent of what he went through, all we have to go on is what his body shows, not what's in his head."Wisdom from her mother was something she'd grown used to dismissing completely these days. It wasn't like she'd wanted to hear it, but this time she took it to heart and gave herself some deep rooted sense of hope. That maybe with time and the proper guidance he'd find her again.

It was another thing that she'd found so funny. He'd waited for her, after Finn. After she'd had to do the unthinkable and kill someone she'd loved for the sake of their people. He'd waited for her. And now, it was her turn to wait for him.

They'd always had this unspoken link, and now she had to have faith that the link still stood even after everything. Because as she looked across the room at the beautiful broken boy that she'd fallen in love with, she loved him even more. Words that never passed out loud between the two of them, but she was sure somewhere inside of him, he knew.

After all, it was hard to forget where your home was.

And he was still home for her.

She'd wander for an eternity if that's what it took to get him back.

"How are you feeling? What about your leg?"She asked her mother, who sat down on the cot next to where she was sitting. She moved to stand to fuss over her mother's healing injuries.

"I'm fine, Clarke. You should go find Octavia, he'll be waking up soon."

xxx8o8xxx

Octavia had been asked to sit outside while they'd patched him up. And she'd done what she'd been told, sitting right outside as Abby and Jackson worked to attempt to fix her brother. And she'd heard the several times Clarke had gotten to close. All the times he'd shouted at her to stay the hell away from him, and that he didn't want to see her. She knew the words were lies. She knew her brother.

There was only one person in this world that he cared about as much as her.

And he was telling her to stay away from him.

When Clarke tapped her shoulder, she stood and walked into the tent without a word, finding herself a seat next to her brother's cot and she sat there, waiting, for something anything really.

"I won't let anything else happen to you, I promise."

She would kill anyone who even dared to so much as look at him the wrong way.

Funny wasn't it, how the protected-

Could so easily become the protector under the right circumstances.


End file.
